Lexus Makes Marty McFly’s Back To The Future Hoverboard!

Now this is very timely. Remember the 1989 movie Back To The Future? 2015 is the year when Michael J. Fox’s fictional character Marty McFly used a flying hoverboard to escape from a bunch of bullies.

Fast forward to the real 2015, Lexus is hinting that Marty McFly’s hoverboard is now a reality. For now, Lexus is just teasing the public with some preliminary information, with a preview video cutting off just when the Lexus hoverboard is about to levitate, followed by a quote from Haruhiko Tanahashi, the chief engineer for the Lexus LF-A.

Details are scarce but Lexus said the hoverboard works by using principles of magnetic levitation with liquid nitrogen-cooled superconductors and permanent magnets.

The hoverboard will be tested in Barcelona in the coming weeks, as part of the Lexus Amazing in Motion campaign. Unfortunately, it is not available for sale, at least not now.

Mark Templin, Executive Vice President, Lexus International, said: “At Lexus we constantly challenge ourselves and our partners to push the boundaries of what is possible. That determination, combined with our passion and expertise for design and innovation, is what led us to take on the Hoverboard project. It’s the perfect example of the amazing things that can be achieved when you combine technology, design and imagination.”

A quick search on Google revealed there have been several attempts to produce a hoverboard in the past, but all of them appears to only able to work under some very specific conditions, over specific surfaces.

Those of you who grew up in the ‘80s and ‘90s will remember the scene below.

As someone who appreciates cars not just for their horsepower value but also for their cultural significance, he is interested in the art of manufacturing and selling cars just as much as driving them. Prior to swapping spread sheets for a word processor, he spent his previous life in product planning and market research.